Fearless ... and Spicy Peanut Dip

Words cannot describe Emery's elation at meeting Spike for the first time, though fearless might be a good descriptor. True, Spike is just a little dog, but even I wouldn't want to get my hands too close to his sharp teeth. 

Emery, on the other hand, was more than happy to give Spike kisses, put her hands in his face and pretty much give him all the attention he may or may not have wanted.

And in the world of food, last night I resurrected an incredibly versatile dip I'd made a few years ago. The combination of ingredients might sound strange to some at first, but I promise the end result is delicious ... and it's a great way to use up peanut butter if the only size jar they had available when you went to the store last week was WAY bigger than you normally buy. 

Spicy Peanut Dip 

From Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home

2/3 cup peanut butter

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

2/3 cup prepared spicy hot salsa

1/2 teaspoon cumin

salt to taste

Tabasco or Worcestershire sauce (optional)

Mash all ingredients together in a bowl, adding Worcestershire sauce if you like more zing. Taste and add more lemon juice and/or few drops of Tabasco if you like.  Use it to coat linguini, soba or buckwheat noodles, as a sauce for steamed veggies and rice, or as a dip for veggies, pita crackers, etc. It keeps for about 2 weeks in the refrigerator.